Minke whale balaenoptera acutorostrata caught off Kakinada coast

Abstract

The Kakinada artisanal gill net fishermen caught a medium sized live male baleen whale at 70 m depth. They towed the whale with the help of two small trawlers into the Kakinada fishing. The presence of about 50 throat grooves, the small dorsal fin markedly curved backwards and the prominent white band over the flippers suggested that the baleen whale was a minke whale belonging to the species Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacepede The animal was estimated to weigh about 8 tonnes. No injuries were observed on the body of the animal except those inflicted by fishermen by beating it with their wooden oars to control its fury and to mitigate the damage to the net harbour.